Roger Roger (composer)
Roger Roger was a French film composer and bandleader. His aliases included Eric Swan and Cecil Leuter, the last being a pseudonym he used for his electronic productions. He was one of the first, with Pierre Henry and Jean-Jacques Perrey, to experiment with the Moog synthesizer; his Pop Electronique album was released in 1969, five years after Bob Moog put his electronic device on the market.
Roger Roger was born in Rouen in Normandy. His father Edmond Roger was an operatic conductor who had been a classmate of Claude Debussy: he is said to have named his son Roger "to satisfy a personal whim". He was taught in the classical tradition, influenced especially by Ravel, but he quickly also discovered American popular song, analysing the compositions and arrangements of George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. He began conducting at the age of 18 in music halls, and quickly moved into the world of broadcast music, and by the late 1930s he was composing for French feature films and documentaries.
After the war, Roger Roger came to the attention of the London publishing house Chappell & Co, who signed him up as part of their drive to expand the Chappell Recorded Music Library, formed in 1941. He recorded over 20 albums of his own compositions for them, from the mid-1950s on. He died in Paris in 1995. Since his death, renewed interest in light music has seen several CD albums released, both in dedicated albums and in compilations, including music used under the test card by the BBC.
Distinctive orchestral pieces by Roger Roger include Busy Streets, Greenland Sleigh Dogs , which became a staple of the BBC Test Card music soundtracks during the 1960s and 1970s, and the four movement Snapshots Suite. He is listed as the composer for two episodes of the Flash Gordon television series, and for the series' incidental music.
In 1971 he released the album Jungle Obssession, on Neuilly Records, with frequent collaborator of childhood friend Nino Nardini.
Farmer Alfalfa
His piece "Komic Kapers" was used in the 1950s by the Commonwealth cartoon distribution company. They put it as the opening music when adding sound to many of Paul Terry's silent Farmer Alfalfa cartoons from the 1920s. Although never chosen by Terry, Rogers's piece was indelibly imprinted on a whole generation of children as the signature tune for these strange, eerie, frantic cartoons.Discography
Major records| Catalog Nr. | Artists | Track listing |
| 5217 | Roger Roger | A – 1. Dramatic Appasionata, 2. Dramatic Appasionata; B – Morning Breezes |
| 5218 | Roger Roger | A – The Fascinating Valse; B – 1. Peasant Dance, 2. Cavern Mysterioso |
| 5219 | Roger Roger | A – Dawn's Awakening; B – 1. Ballerina Petite, 2. Fanfare |
| 5220 | Roger Roger | A – The Coyote Serenade; B – Metropolitan Rhapsody |
| 5222 | Roger Roger | A – 1. The Queen's Processional, 2. The Clown's Frolic; B – 1. Devilish Menace, 2. Dismal Mists; 3. Caribbean Winds, 4. Rhythm of Doom |
| 5224 | Roger Roger | A – 1. Adoration of Love, 2. Komic Kapers, 3. Dramatic Finale, 4. Uplift Finale, 5. Steps of Mystery; B – Our Industrial World |
| 5225 | Roger Roger | A – 1. Love Triumphant, 2. Tipsy Mockingbird; B – 1. Deserted City, 2. Rue de la Paix, 3. The Cafe Musette Waltz |
| 5231 | Roger Roger | A – Hope's Awakening; B – Tread of Doom |
| 5266 | Geo. S. Chase/Roger Roger | A – Valse Charmante ; B – Ivory Coast |
| 5267 | Roger Roger | A – Damascus; B – Rendezvous, Romantic Interlude, Reverie |
| 5270 | Geo. S. Chase/Roger Roger | A – Fujiyama ; B – Himalaya/Chopsticks/Everest |
| 5272 | Geo. S. Chase/Roger Roger | A – A Coin in the Fountain ; B – Fun on Ice |